Vehicle spring



Aug. 23-, 1932. ROULEAU ET AL 1,872,822

VEHICLE SPRING Filed Sept. 15, 1951 I nventors A RQuZecLu,

fl Home y Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES .VPATTENT OFFICE f ALPHIEROULEAU AND PAUL NADEA'U', OF BARBIE TOWN, VERMONT Application filedSeptember 15, 1931. Serial No. 562,958. b

riveted as at 16 to the ends of the leaf 13,

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in vehiclesprings, and has as its primary object the provision of a laminated orleaf spring capable of providing a quicker action thus providing moreeasy riding than heretofore has been obtained by leaf springs now inuse.

A still further ob ect of the invention is to provide a vehicle springcomprising a plurality of superimposed leaves, together with shackles orU-shaped clamps embracing the spring adjacent the end thereof andrespectively provided with a pair of rollers receiving the lowermostsprings therebetween.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent froma study of the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the spring, and

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially online 22 of Figure 1.

With reference more in detail to the drawing, it will be seen that theleaf spring in the single embodiment illustrated comprises a pluralityof leaves varying in length and respectively bowed slightlylongitudinally. The leaves are arranged in superimposed relation andadjacent each end of the spring is an inverted U-shaped clamp or shackle5, and inwardly from the clamp 5 similar slightly longer clamp 6.

Each of the clamps 5 and 6 adjacent its open lower end has journalledbetween opposed portions thereof as at 7 a roller 8 contacting the underface of the lowermost longer leaf 9.

Also, each of the clamps 5 and 6 above the roller 8 has journalledbetween opposed portions thereof as at 10 a roller 11 disposed betweenand contacting with a leaf 12 disposed upon the leaf 9, and a relativelyshort- 45 er leaf 13 separated from the leaf 12 by a pair of variedlength leaves 14 and 15.

As shown, the longer leaf 15 rests upon the leaf 12, and a shorter leaf14: is interposed between leaf 15 and the leaf 13.

0 The clamps 5 at their closed ends are in spaced relation to the endsof a leaf 17 phich at its end terminates short of the'leaf The leaf 17extends, at its ends through and beyond the clamp 6, while a relativelyshorter leaf 18 terminates at its ends between opposed sides of theclamp 6, and at said end riveted to the upper closed endof the clamp 6as at 19. The uppermost leaf 20 rests on the leaf 18 and is slightlyshorter than the leaf 15.

All these leaves are connected together in superimposed relation throughthe medium of a bolt 21 passing through the leavesinter- 1 mediate theends thereof and having a nut or the like 22 threadedly engaged with thefree end thereof.

As is apparent, the leaves 14 and 15 provide for suitably spacing theleaves 12 and 13, to accommodate therebetween rollers 11 of the clamp,the larger clamp 6 being plaoedinwardly toward the transverse center ofthe spring to serve to strengthen the body thereof.

In "providing a spring with the arrange ment of beams, clamps androllers just decribed, the spring is susceptible to quickeraction,.making for easyrising, and, by reason of the generalconstruction of the spring arrangement of clamp and rollers, there isless chance of snapping and breaking of the leaf.

Even though we have herein shown and described the preferred embodimentof the invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible offurther changes, modifications and improvements coming within the scopeof the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. A vehicle leaf spring comprising a plurality of relatively elongatedlower leaves, and a plurality of relatively shorter upper leavesseparated from the first named leaves by a plurality of intermediateleaves of varying length, clamps embracing the first and second namedleaves at opposite ends of the spring, and rollers carried by saidclamps and arranged in the space provided between the first and secondnamed springs, and engaging the opposed surfaces of the springs.

2. A vehicle spring comprising a plurality of superimposed leaves, abolt extending through the leaves intermediate the ends thereof, saidleaves including a plurality of relatively elongated lower leaves, aplurality of upper leaves progressively decreasing in length, and aplurality of intermediate leaves varying inlength and arrangedbetweenthe upper and lower leaves, clamps embracing the longer one ofthe uppermost leaves and said lower leaves at relatively opposite endsof r the spring, additional clamps inwardly from L,

the first named clamps embracing the upper and lower springs and a pairof rollers carried by each of the clamps and receiving there between thelowermost spring, said'rol'lers i normally contacting the surfaces ofthe springs.

' 3. A vehicle spring comprising a plurality of superimposed leaves, abolt extending i through the leaves intermediate the ends thereof, saidleaves including aplurality of relatively elongated lower leaves, aplurality of upper leaves progressively decreasing in length, andaplurality of intermediate leaves varying in length and arranged betweenthe upper and lower leaves, clamps embracing the longer one of theuppermost leaves and said lower leaves atrelatively opposite ends of the7 spring, additional clamps inwardly from the first named clampsembracing the upper and lower springs and a pair of rollers carried byeach of the clamps and receiving therebetween the lowermost spring andcontacting the surfaces of the springs, said clamps being substantiallyinverted U-shaped and the first v named clamps at their closed endsbeing fixed to the end of the longest'leaf of said leaves and thesecond-named clamps at their closed 7 end being fixed to a second one ofsaid upper springs. Injtestimony whereof we afli-x Our signatures. I

' ALPHIE ROULEA'U PAUL NADEAU.

